Electric connector adapter



June 3, 1952 A. w. TONN 2,598,862

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR ADAPTER I Filed March 19, 1948 l/ 7 AH ATTORNE Y5 Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATES PATIENT QFFICE ELECTRIC CONNECTOR ADAPTER Arthur W. Tonn, Massillion, *Ohio Application March 19, 1948, Serial No. 15,342

2 Claims.

The invention relates generally to plugs and receptacles for connecting electric applicances to a power supply, and more particularly to an adaptor for facilitating making the connection between the appliance conductorcord and a wall or base board receptacle.

In the ordinary dwelling or office building the receptacles or outlets connected to electric current supply are usually located in the base board of the room or in the wall near the floor or base board. In attaching the standard plug carried on the conductor cord of a lamp or appliance, the user pushes the two prongs of the plug into the spaced sockets of the receptacle and the prongs contact conductors therein and make electrical connection with the power supply.

However, in attaching or removing the plug, it is necessary to reach the receptacle from a point directly in front of the same, in order to push straightrinto or pull straight out from the receptacle. Moreover, when vremoving the plug it should be grasped in the fingers, because a pull or jerk on the conductor cord itself tends to loosen the conductor wires from the terminals in the plug.

Consequently, when the base receptacles are located behind or under articles-of furniture and the like, it becomes necessary to move such articles every time a plug is connected to the receptacle. If the obstructing article is not removed when the plug is detached from the receptacle, but the plug is detached by a pull or jerk on the cord, this tends to loosen the conductor wires from the plug terminals which may cause short circuiting.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel electric connector adapter which provides for plugging into a wall receptacle without pushing the plug directly into the wall.

Another object is to provide a novel connector adaptor which makes it practical to connect or disconnect the plug by grasping the conductor cord asubstantial distance above the receptacle and pulling upwardly on the cord.

Another object is to provide a novel electric connector adaptor which has meansqpreventing loosening of the conductor wires from the plug terminals when a pull is applied to the cord.

A further object is to provide a novel connector' adaptor which insures a good electrical connection between the appliance cord and the power supply.

,A still further object is to provide a novel adapter which .is applicable to be used with a standardplug and a basereceptacle for making z a connection'between the same without reaching to or close to the receptacle.

These and other objects are accomplished by the parts, improvements and combinations comprising the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which is set forth by way of example in the following description and shown in the accompanying drawing, the nature of which. is set forth in the following general statement, and which is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

In general terms, the novel adaptor comprising the present invention includes a female adaptor member detachably connected to the :base receptacle for making electrical connection with a power supply, said female member having conductors leading from the receptacle to contacts in opposed vertical slots which communicate with a vertical channel formed in said member, there being inclined guide surfaces on the bottom of said female member leading to said slots, and a male adaptor member having sockets for 'receiving the prongs of a connector plug and laterally projecting fins connected to said sockets and adapted to be guidedby said guiding surfaces into the slots of the female member for engaging the contacts therein.

Referring to the drawing forming part hereof, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example;

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a base board receptacle, showing the female adaptor member in section and the male member in elevation, the male member in the operation of being entered into the female member;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the male member fully entered into circuit closing position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view as on line 33, Fig. 2, the adaptor being detached from the receptacle;

Fig. 4 is a, detached plan sectional view of the female adaptor member;

Fig. 5 is a detached plan sectional view -of the male adaptor member; and

Fig. -6 is a-sectional view as on line G5, Fig. 5, showing a standard plug connected to the male adaptor member.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

In the drawing, the device is shown attached to a conventional receptacle indicated generally at [.0 and located in a base board II, .but it will be understood that the female adaptor indicated generally at 12 may be otherwise attached to the base board receptacle or may be more or less a permanent part of the base board with the electric current connected thereto in any usual manner. The receptacle I is shown as having two sockets l3 spaced one above the other for receiving the prongs [4 of the adaptor, which prongs correspond to the usual prongs of an appliance plug. It will be understood that where the sockets of the receptacle are laterally spaced instead of vertically, the female adaptor member will have the prongs 14 arranged likewise. As shown, the receptacle ID has electrical contacts IS in the sockets I3 for engaging the prongs I 4 to electrically connect the prongs with the power supnly and the receptacle I0 is preferably constructed of suitable insulation material, all in usual fashion.

The female adaptor member I2 is also constructed of insulation material and is generally U-shaped with forwardly extending wings l6 forming a vertical channel l'l extending entirely through the member. At each side of the channel l! is a vertical slot l8 which communicates with or opens into the channel i1, and a spring contact strip I9. is located in each slot. One of the contact strips I9 is electrically connected to one of the prongs M by a conductor 20 within the member l2, and the other contact 19 is similarly connected by a conductor 2| to the other prong It.

The bottom surfaces of the wings l9 are provided with inwardly and upwardly inclined guide surfaces 22 which terminate at and merge into the vertical slots I8. Preferably, th female member I2 is anchored to the base board by a bracket strip 23 which is fastened at its lower end to the base board by a screw 24, and is fastened at its upper end to the bottom of the female by a screw 25. As shown, the upper end of the bracket strip 23 is rearwardly bent to provid a resilient knob 26 extending slightly into the bottom ofthe channel l1.

The male adaptor member is indicated generally at 28 and preferably includes a substantially cylindrical body 29 which is adapted to fit rather snugly into the vertical channel I! of the female member. The body 29 is provided with a pair of sockets 30 having spring contact strips 3| therein for making good electrical connections with the prongs 32 of a standard appliance plug 33' having a conductor cord electrically connected to the prongs;

Thus, the body 29 is'adapted to receive and make electrical connection with the appliance plug in the same way as the usual base receptacle, except that the body 29 receives the plug in a vertical position. The body 29 is provided with laterally projecting metal fins 35 which are electrical conductors and which are electrically connected with th spring contacts 3| by conductor portions 36 extending into the body 29. The fins are located laterally opposite each other and are of such dimension that they will fit slidably in the slots l8 of the female member l2 and will engage the spring contacts l9 therein to make good electrical connections with said contacts. Thus if the body 29 of the male member is broughttoward the female member from in front of and below the same, the fins 35 will engage the guiding surfaces 22, as indicated in Fig. 1, and as the body is moved upwardly the surfaces 22 will guide the fins 35 into the slots l8 and thus guide the bodyv29 into the channel l'l.

Accordingly, the conductor cord 34 can be electrically connected to the base receptacle [9 by grasping the cord 34 at a substantial distance 4 above the plug, and dangling it in front of the female member l2 so that the fins guide the body 29 into the channel I1, and when the fins 35 engage the spring contacts l9, the electrical circuit between the cord 34 and the receptacle I0 is completed.

The body 29 of th male member is preferably provided at its lower inner edge with a projection or protuberance 38 which engages under the knob 26 when the male member is in the circuit closing position shown in Fig. 2, to frictionally restrain the male member in said position. Thus, as the body 29 is pulled upwardly into the channel I! the operator can feel the projection 38 engage the knob 26 and knows that the body is in the circuit closing position. In order to disconnect the circuit by removing the body 29 of the male member from the channel H of the female m mber, it is only necessary to grasp the cord and pull or jerk upwardly on the same with sufficient force to overcome the frictional resistance provided by the knob 26 engaging the projection 38.

In order to prevent the pull on the cord from loosening the connection of the conductor wires with the terminals within the plug 33, a bracket 49 is mounted on the front side of the body 28 of the male member, as by screws 4|, and extends upwardly a substantial distance above the plug 33. The bracket 49 has an inwardly extending flange 42 at its top end which projects past the conductor cord, and a clamp piece 43 is secured to the flange 42 by a screw 44 and arranged tightly to grip the conductor cord and relieve the conductor wires of any pull applied to the cord. As indicated in Fig. 3, the bracket 40, being located on the front side of the body 29, does not interfere in any way with entering the male adaptor member into the channel".

The novel adaptor connector provides for making connections between a conductor cord plug and a base receptacle which is located behind furniture and the like, merely by suspending the plug from above the construction and entering the male part of the adaptor into the female part by pulling upwardly on the cord until the plug is in the channel in circuit closing position. The plug is quickly and easily disconnected by an upward pull or jerk on the cord without damaging the terminal connections in the plug, so that the device not only eliminates the need for moving the furniture in order to connect or disconnect the appliance plug with the base receptacle, but also eliminates the need of stooping to push the plug into the receptacle. Moreover, the dev ce provides for connecting an appliance plug to a base receptacl and extending the appliance cord directly upwardly without causing a sharp bend in the cord as is normally required with the conventional plug and receptacle.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiment of the improved construction illustrated and described herein is by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation and use of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful constructions, and. reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: v

1. An adaptor for making electrical connection between a conductor cord plug and power supply receptacle, including a female adaptor member having prongs for electrical connection with said receptacle and having a vertical channel, said member having open-ended vertical slots communicating with opposite sides of said channel, contacts in said slots electrically connected with said prongs, inwardly and upwardly inclined guiding surfaces on the underside of said member on opposite sides thereof leading to said slots, a male adaptor member having a body for slidably fitting in said female member channel, laterally opposite fins on said body adapted to be guided into the bottom ends of said slots by said guiding surfaces for upwardly releasably engaging the contacts therein when said body is received in said channel, said body having sockets electrically connected to said fins and adapted for receiving and detachably electrically contacting the prongs of a connector cord plug, and a bracket on said body carrying clamping means for gripping the conductor cord of the connector plug, whereby an upward jerk on the conductor cord will release the fins from engagement with said contacts and said adaptor body from said channel.

2. An adaptor for making electrical connection between a conductor cord plug and power supply receptacle, including a female adaptor member having prongs for electrical connection with said receptacle and having a vertical channel, said member having open-ended vertical slots communicating with opposite sides of said channel, contacts in said slots electrically connected with said prongs, inwardly and upwardly inclined guiding surfaces on the underside of said member on opposite sides thereof leading to said slots, a male adaptor member having a body for slidably fitting in said female member channel, laterally opposite fins on said body adapted to be guided into the bottom ends of said slots by said guiding surfaces for upwardly releasably engaging thecontacts therein when said body is received in said channel, and said body having sockets electrically connected to said fins and adapted for receiving and detachably electrically contacting the prongs'of a connector cord plug.

ARTHUR W. TONN'.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 775,779 Rossiter Nov. 22, 1904 1,553,148 Donahue Sept. 8, 1925 1,665,095 Henry Apr. 3, 1928 1,824,956 Hubbell Sept. 29, 1931 1,835,251 Wetstein Dec. 8, 1931 2,042,105 Kelley May 26, 1936 2,076,558 Hartman Apr. 13, 1937 2,131,884 Brodhecker Oct. 4, 1938 2,489,741 Bonham Nov. 29, 1949 

